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Dáil Éireann - Volume 415 - 19 February, 1992

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Co-ordination of Emergency Services.

16. Mr. Durkan asked the Taoiseach if he will outline the Government Minister or Minister with overall responsibility for co-ordination of emergency services in the event of major accident/disaster; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The Taoiseach: Under a Government decision of 28 March 1985 the responsibility for peacetime emergency planning, including any necessary co-ordination with other Departments, rests with the individual Departments for their own areas of responsibility.

Under a further Government decision [2414] taken on 3 September 1986 an interdepartmental committee chaired by the Department of the Environment and comprising also representatives of the Departments of Health, Defence and Justice were established to monitor and advise on (a) the preparation and testing of emergency plans by local authorities, health boards and the Garda, and (b) the co-ordination arrangements at national level to facilitate the response of agencies to major emergencies.

The committee are an advisory, not an operational, body. As the Deputy will therefore appreciate, responsibility for peacetime emergency planning, including any necessary co-ordination with other Departments, has for some time now rested with individual Departments in relation to their own areas of responsibility, and with the bodies responsible for emergency services under the aegis of those Departments. Those arrangements are working satisfactorily to my best knowledge.

Mr. Durkan: Would the Taoiseach not agree that it would be highly desirable in the event of an accident or a disaster that one Department and one Minister should have overall responsibility, be able to give direction to operations and, ultimately, be able to call on the various services required? An example that springs to my mind is the Ballaghaderreen meat factory fire, for which the services of other authorities had to be called in.

The Taoiseach: The arrangements I have described to the House are working satisfactorily. I might add that an interdepartmental committee chaired by the Department of the Environment have the task of monitoring and advising of the emergency plans of the various agencies and also the task of co-ordinating arrangements at national level to facilitate the response of those agencies to major emergencies. That is the position — the arrangements have worked, the procedure is run through regularly and it is examined.

[2415] Mr. Farrelly: That is the first reply we have had.

Mr. Durkan: I put it to the Taoiseach that the system has not worked and is not working satisfactorily. Would the Taoiseach not accept that the various people charged with responsibility for dealing with such emergencies in local authorities are at a loss when it comes to knowing who is in senior command, what is the pecking order and who has overall responsibility? Would he not accept that at present no-one has overall responsibility — neither the Army, the Department of Defence, the Department of the Environment nor his own Department?

The Taoiseach: I am surprised at the Deputy's statement. He heard me say that the chair of the interdepartmental committee is with the Department of the Environment under the Minister for the Environment.

Mr. Durkan: That is not the question.

The Taoiseach: That is what I said, quite clearly, and that is the position.

An Ceann Comhairle: I call Question No. 17.

Mrs. Taylor-Quinn: A Cheann Comhairle, if I could just——

An Ceann Comhairle: Order. Question No. 17, please. I want to conclude the Taoiseach's questions before proceeding to deal with priority questions at 3.30 p.m., on the dot.

Mrs. Taylor-Quinn: Could I please ask just one short supplementary question? In view of the Taoiseach's reply that the committee were an advisory body rather than an operational body, would he not agree that in such a capacity the committee do not have the necessary cohesion to put something into operation and that there is a need for one Department to co-ordinate the entire operation and for that procedure to tie in with the [2416] EC emergency services available from the headquarters in Brussels?

The Taoiseach: The chairmanship is held by the Department of the Environment. It involves representatives of the Departments of Health, Defence and Justice.

Mrs. Taylor-Quinn: The Taoiseach said that it is not operational.

The Taoiseach: I said that the committee have a co-ordination role, and those arrangements were made under the Deputy's own Government. Those are the arrangements, they have been checked on many occasions and have been found to work satisfactorily. If the Deputy would like specific improvements or changes in policy, she might consider putting down a question to the Minister for the Environment.

An Ceann Comhairle: I call question No. 17, Deputy McCartan's question.

Mr. Durkan: Could I ask one final supplementary question — a short one?

An Ceann Comhairle: I am sorry, Deputy, I did make a specific request to the House.

Mr. Durkan: Just a short question.

An Ceann Comhairle: That is all right.

Mr. Durkan: Which Department actually direct operations?

The Taoiseach: For the third time, I have to repeat that the Department of the Environment chair the co-ordination of services.

Mr. Durkan: Chairs, not directs. Who directs?

The Taoiseach: I answered the question.

Mr. Durkan: That does not answer the question.

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